Index fob abstbacts op conveyances and other becqrds affecting land



A. W. ESTES. INDEX FOR ABSTRACTS OF GONVEYANGES AND OTHER RECORDS AFFECTING LAND TITLES.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 19, 1909.

' Patnted Dec. '12, 1911.

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INDEX P011 ABSTRACTS OF QONVEYANGBS .AND OTHER moans AFFECTING LAND TITLES.

Patented Dec. 12,1911.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 19, 1909.

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AMBROSE W. ESTES, K DF YEIALVILLE, ARKANSAS.

INDEX FOR ABSTRACTS OF CON VEYANQES AND OTHER RECORDS AFFECTING LAND- 'll'ITLES.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed oetober'le, 1909. Serial No. 523,479.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AMBROSE \V. Esrns, a citizen of the United States, residing at Yellville, in the county ofMarion and State of Arkansas, have invented new and useitul Improvements in Indexes for Abstracts of Conveyances and other Records Affecting Land-Titles, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to improvements in indexes of the type adapted for use in keeping records ofconveyances and other instruments which affect title to Ian (1 and other property, and it has for its object to provide an index of this.character which is capable of containing a concise but cont.- plete reference to all of the various records in the recorders office as well as court or other records whereby all transactions aifecting the title of lands may be immediately located, and while the index is full and complete, it at the same time is simple and of such a nature that it may be prq' vided at small cost of time and money ant-l,

moreover, the making of abstracts can lte accomplished more completely and rapidly and furthermore in a more, reliable way than can be accomplished in any of the known methods heretofore employed.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown certain forms which I prefer to en 1- ploy in carrying out the invention.

In the said drawings: Figure 1 represents a tract or plat index. Fig. 2 represents a form which is adapted to have indexed thereon all transfers or transactions atieirting property located in such tract, and Ff g. 3 illustrates a portion of a page which e1 nbodies agrantees index.

The systems heretofore used for indcxi cg instruments atl'ecting land titles have be en of a more or less elaborate character, c011- tainin a brief'abstract of all conveyariccs and records affecting title to property in jlhc county for which they are compiled. 'lhc cost and labor in preparing and mainta ining such records has, however-,been ery great and it has; therefore, required considerable capital to initiate a system of s] ich character. According to the present inv 3ntion, however, the cost and labor invol. ed in initiating and maintaining a record of all transact-ions or instruments aflecting in 1101 titles is reduced, reliability is insured and the work involved in examining landtitles is materially facilitated.

According to the present invention, a book Patented Dec. 12, 1911. I

ceded. by an index'which corresponds to and is of a form to receive entries of all instruments afi'ecting land situated in that particular section. By using the loose leaf binder, pages may be added as necessary to accommodate entries as they increase in numbers, it being possible to add one or more indexes in a position so as to immediately precede the )articular plat wherein the instruments re erred to in such index aii'ect land titles in the corresponding sec.- tion. The several pages for the plats may be substantially duplicates, each having preferably a heading which contains, in

blank, reference to the section, township and range, blank spaces being left so that tlie numbers of the section, township and range may be readily entered. Each page contains a diagram 1 which partially covers the page so as to leave a space 2 for the em try of data relating to transfers of title to lands located in that particular section but which cannotbe designated by the usual descriptive characters, the page being preferably ruled and being headed Irregular descriptions. The diagram is preferably ruled in the usual manner by horizontal and vertical lines which form squares of regular sizes and each plat preferably represents a subdivisional forty-acre tract.

Fig. 2 shows what I may term a subdivisional index, each of these indexes being in the form of a page which innnediately precedes the corresponding plat, the index as shown in Fig. 2 being provided with a head ingadapted to receive the numbers of the section, township and. range. This sectional index is ruled horizontally so that the data pertaining to the entries for each instrument or transaction are made in a horizontal row.-

This sectional index is ,a'lsoruled vertically to form three adjacent columns 8, 4 and 5, which receive entries respectively of the number of the hook and the page thereof containing the instrument, and the character of the instrument affecting a par-titanic.

.-east subdivisions of the section.

transaction. This sectional index is also ruled yertically to form columns 6 and 7 to receive the names respectively, of the grantor and the grantee. Immediately to the right- 'of the column 7 for the grantees names, the

page is ruled vertically to form four main columns 8 which are preferably designated ,NE, NW, SW and SE, corresponding to the northeast, northwest, southwest and south- Each of these main divisions 8 is further divided into four columns making sixteen spaces corresponding to the subdivisions of the main ivision, and a horizontal row of numerals 9 running from 1 to 16 inclusive is preferably provided, one for each subdivisional space whereby the entry ofan appropriate character designating in which particular subdivision land affected by a particular instrument islocated, may be facilitated. Immediately to the right of the columns to receive characters designating in what portion of the section the land affected is dated, I provide a column l0 headed Acres, in which column entries may be made showing the number of acres contained in the property affected by the instrument.

The main divisions 8 and their subdivisions refer by the usual or well known characters to the common descriptions which may. be readily located upon the plat. It sometimes happens, however, that property cannot be described, owing to its peculiar location, by the common orusual characters or designations, and for this reason I provide a supplemental column 11 headed Irregular descriptions, this column being adapted to receive an entry of an arbitrary character which will be entered upon the ruling of the plat page, 1, under the heading Ir-.

regular descriptions. A column 12 is provided to the right of the column 11 and is subdivided and appropriately headed to re ceive entries of the month, day and year corresponding to the date of the instrument.

A column 13 may be provided at the right of the column 12 and headed Remarks, this column being adapted to receive any additional data which it may he found desirable to enter respecting the instrument.

Fig. 3 represents a page from a grantees index and it may be either bound in the same book with the plat pages and the sectional indexes or it may be contained in a separate book. Each grantees index pageis ruled cility upon the reverse side of the sheet or upon the following page which, of course, has its horizontal rows correspondingly numbered. At the right of the column 14, the page is ruled vertically to form spaces 16, which spaces are preferably printed in blank, as shown, to receive entries-describing the character of the instrument, the book and page thereof containing the instrument, and immediately beneath the blank printing just described, spaces are preferably left to receive description by appropriate characters of the location of the property on the plat affected by the instrument. The date which the instrument bears may also be entered in each space.

An abstractor in making an abstract by the aid of an index embodying the present invention, turns the pages of the book to the section in which such property tobe ab-- stracted is located, and notes the bOOKS and pages and other information which he finds indorsed upon the sectional index page of Fig. 2 and the plat of Fig. 1. The abstractor thereby obtains such data as will enable him td locate the original record which contains the instrument. In order to determine what property is owned by a particular individual, the grantee's index, Fig. 3, is used, all instruments whereby such individual obvious that a further subdivision of the sections may be made to facilitate entry and reference to instruments affecting town lots, in which case a plat similar to Fig. 1 and a tow; lot index similar to Fig. 2, would be use By using a plat of the kind above described in combination with an index to contain entries of all instruments affecting property-located in said plat, said index containing columns to receive characters which designate the location of the property upon the plat, it is obvious that when an'instrument is found affecting certain/property contained in the plat, such property can be immediately located by noting the location heading contained at the top of such column and conversely, after property has been located upon the plat, it may be quickly dete mined whether there are any instrumen s affecting title to said property by mereref: erence to the corresponding location-defining column of the index.

It will be understood that'when an instrument is recorded covering an irregularly defined area, such area on-the plat may have applied thereto an appropriate character,

the significance of which may be made plain by an appropriate entry upon the plat sheet under the heading Irregular descriptions.

The squares upon the plat represent an appropriate subdivision of a township section, these squares bearing a predetermined 95 tains title to property being entered to the i 'relation to the headings and designating numerals in the columns upon the grantor column, and by reference to the s index, as shown in Fig. 2. A transfer affecting land located in any'part of the section represented by this stantly located by following down the ap-' propriate column in' the grantors index to determine whether an entry is made'in such lat,' the relative locationof the land afiecte by such a transfer can be instantly determined. This platindex is adapted to have outlined within the appropriatesquare land .of an irregularly defined area, and if such irregula'rly defined area cannot be definitely des nated byone of the headings of the grantor 5 index, then a special character may be a plied to the irregularly defined area on t e lat and an appro 'riate entry may be made in the space provi ded upon the balance of the sheet containing the plat and under the heading Irregular descriptions. It will therefore 'be seen that the plat and the antors index correspondwith one another at one indicates the relative location of 7, suchlandslas may be afiected by the differcut transfers, while the gr'antors index contains'the name of the grantor, the grantee;

the location of the land afl'ectedby the transfer, and other data relating to such transfer and abstracts may be prepared with the greatest facility and accuracy by consulting both the plat and the index. The grantees' index is to be used in conjunction with the grantors index, the grantees index enabling .anabstractor to quickly 'determine'all property owned by a given individual in a certain section. I ciaimas m invention:

1'. A device for facilitatingthe entry and examination of instruments affecting land titles embodying a plat containinga diagram of a tract of land; the diagram being divided into main areas and subdivisions thereof having identifying characters,- in

combination with a plat index havin vertical lines which divide it into main co umns which equal in number the number of main areas of the plat, said main columns being subdivided by intersecting horizontal and vertical lines forming 'subdiv'isional columns appropriately designated to receive entries 0 data pertaining to instruments .afi'ect-ing land situated in said diagram,v the subdivisional vertical columns of the plat-: index plat may be in--' having a heading bearinglcharacters individual to the respective subdivisional vertical columns and like said identifying-charactors on the dia am. 4

2. A device. for facilitating .theentry and examination of instruments affecting land titles embodying a plat containing 9. diaram of a tract of land, the diagram .bemg divided into main areasand subdivisions thereof 'having identifying characters, in combinati on with a plat index havin lines forming main vertical coluinnswhic e (ml in number the' number of mam areas o .the plat, said main columns having intersecting'horizoutal' and vertical lines forming subdivisional columns appropriately desig-j nated 'to receive entries ofdata pertaining to instruments affecting land situated in the plat, said subdivisional columns provided with headings arranged according to the different subdivisions of the diagram, said I headings being composed of characters like the identifying characters on the subdivig sions' ofthe diagram, said'characters for the- 1 subdlvlslonal columns; servm what particular subdivlslons o the plat are affected by the instruments. 7 v "'3.- A device for facilitating the entryand examination of instruments affecting land titles embodying a plat sheet containing a diagramof a tract of land,'said diagrambeto denote ing dividedinto main areas'and subdivisions.

thereof havin identifying -c'haracters,- in

combination wlth a plat index having vertical lines forming main columns which equal 3 in number the number of main areas of the plat, said maincolumns having intersecting horizontal and verticallmes forming subdivisional columns which are a propriately designated to receive entries of ata pertaining' to instruments affecting land situated ELMER Owens, A. G. FLIPrIN. 

